


The Perfect Gift (Doesn't Exist)

by kowaiyoukai



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angry Frank Castle, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff and Humor, Get Together, Happy Ending, Holidays, M/M, mcuchristmasexchange2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28399119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kowaiyoukai/pseuds/kowaiyoukai
Summary: After a badly-timed attack interrupts Tony's love confession, Steve decides he needs to find the perfect gift to apologize to Tony. Meanwhile, Tony needs to find a way to show Steve that he's a great catch. They both end up receiving help from unlikely sources. But that's just how it goes around the holidays.
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47
Collections: MCU Christmas Exchange





	The Perfect Gift (Doesn't Exist)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [titC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/titC/gifts).



> This was written for [titC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/titC/pseuds/titC) for the [MCU Christmas Exchange 2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MCU_Christmas_Exchange). Hope you enjoy!

“No, Tony.”

“But—”

“ _No_. That is a ho gift. I will not allow it.”

Tony pouted. “Lingerie is a perfectly acceptable gift,” he muttered. 

Rhodey groaned. “Not for Steve, it’s not.”

“It’s quite pricey.” Tony scrolled down the page, inspecting the variety of colors. “And there’s more than ten color choices. That’s pretty good.”

Rhodey gestured towards Tony with a look of someone who was losing their mind. “Can I get a bit of help here? Can you talk some sense into him?”

“Who, me?” Carol snorted. “I’m powerful, but I’m not _that_ powerful.”

Now this was beginning to feel like they were ganging up on him. Tony had invited two of his best friends to assist him in a serious matter—what to buy Steve for Christmas. They were sitting around on the couch in Tony’s workshop, flipping through magazines and online catalogues and, in Carol’s case, clearing out her junk mail.

“Well what do you suggest?” Tony asked, trying to contain his grumpiness. They were his friends, after all. They were trying to help.

“Art supplies,” Carol stated.

Tony glared at her.

“You know they’re expensive. The good ones are. And he goes through them pretty quickly. It’s a good gift.” Carol raised her eyebrows challengingly.

“It’s not,” Tony said. “It’s a terrible gift.”

“I think it’d be good,” Rhodey replied. “Steve’s always saying he needs more paint.”

Tony slapped his hands on his face. “ _Guys_! How am I supposed to confess my undying eternal love for this man with tubes of _paint_?”

Carol’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Didn’t you already ask him out?”

Tony scrubbed at his hair. “Yes.”

“And?” Rhodey asked, impatient for gossip as _always_.

“And he said ‘oh, gee, Tone, that’d be, well, gosh’ and then _Thanos_ attacked, so he never got to finish what he was saying!”

“Ugh, tough luck,” Carol replied. “But why didn’t you ask him after?”

“That was last week. I thought he’d get back to me before now.” Tony’s shoulders sagged. “I probably shouldn’t have let it wait this long.” He shook his head. “Well, too late now. I need to find the perfect gift that will make him realize he one hundred percent should have already said yes to me, but that I’m still willing to accept a yes anyway.” Tony held up his phone, pointing to a picture of an incredibly overpriced lingerie set. “Which is _why_ —”

“ _No!_ ”

Tony blinked at them. They didn’t have to yell so loudly and in unison like that, honestly.

~*~

“It’s New Year’s Eve,” Bucky said. “I thought people didn’t exchange gifts?”

“Usually they don’t,” Steve said. “But I wasn’t able to find a nice gift for him in time for last week’s exchange.”

Bucky elbowed him. “Lucky that Thanos attacked then, huh?”

“ _Well_.” Steve tilted his head to the side, not really willing to comment on that _extremely_ positive outlook.

Steve was worried. Tony’s hopeful face kept popping up in his head, seconds before a sudden portal appeared with Thanos strolling out like he wasn’t interrupting a _very important moment_. Then there was the fight, getting Wanda and Strange to close the portal, clean-up, sending out emails and texts apologizing for having to cancel the annual superhero get-together and gift exchange, and Tony ran off to deal with Stark Industries and Pepper and something about a glitch on tech that was just released in time for the holidays. And then, well.

Then nothing. Then Steve never got back to Tony, who’d put his heart out there for Steve to trample all over. It was an incredibly awful feeling to have work get in the way of something he’d wanted on a personal level for literal years. But he knew he could fix this. It was just a matter of finding the right gift to match how he felt.

“Look, I’ve been learning the power of positive thinking.” Bucky spread out his hands. “Things will work out. Tony already asked you for a date. All you’ve gotta do is say yes.”

Steve sighed. “I just feel like I owe him an apology. A really good one.”

Natasha, who had characteristically remained silent up until now, took a break from ensuring her gun was balanced to stretch out her legs. “You don’t. Tony’s co-captain. He understands what happened.”

“If that’s true, then why hasn’t he brought it up again?”

“Ball’s in your court,” Natasha replied.

Steve pondered this for a moment. “You didn’t see his face,” he eventually muttered. “He looked… dejected.”

“Just tell him how you feel,” Bucky stated. “Communication will solve this.”

“Speaking of communication,” Steve said, sitting up straighter as a sudden thought hit him. “Where _were_ you during that fight? Could’ve used the backup.”

Bucky shook his head. “Can’t say. Top secret.”

“He was looking at Tony’s mock-ups for redesigning his arm.” Natasha didn’t even look up from cleaning her gun.

“ _Nat_ ,” Bucky hissed, making a slashing motion with his hand across his neck. “We talked about this.”

Steve sighed again. “Tony’s great at new designs.”

“Focus. Focus!” Bucky clapped his hands together. “Stevie, we are _never_ going to get you a date this way.”

“What happened to the power of positive thinking?”

“I’m working on it,” Bucky snapped. “Listen, we just need to get you feeling confident.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Captain America, not confident enough? The rest of us are doomed.”

Steve put his head in his hands. “Maybe I’ll find something if I go shopping. I don’t know.”

“Why do you think you need a gift?” Bucky frowned. “I don’t think Stark’s _that_ materialistic.”

“I told you. It just feels like the right thing to do.”

Natasha shrugged. “I think you’re being an idiot, but fine. Have fun shopping.”

~*~

There were a million places that could have a good gift for a guy like Steve. He would love anything handmade, something from a small mom & pop place, or even something relating to a charity. Tony wasn’t… the _best_ at any of those things. He was keeping Rhodey and Carol’s advice in mind. Not lingerie.

Tony scratched his finger against his forehead. Fine. He needed to get Steve something that would really wow him. Something that would really show him that Tony would make a fantastic romantic partner.

As Tony was cruising along in the sky, pretending to be keeping an eye out for trouble as he actually searched for gift options, F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted him to actual trouble.

Tony sighed. “What’ve we got?”

F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice filled his helmet as images and graphs popped up, alerting him to every possible angle of the situation in real time. “It seems Frank Castle is in pursuit of a criminal. Mid-forties, white male. Recently broke into a string of homes and stole valuables in the guise of installing home security.”

Tony’s eyebrow rose. “Castle’s after a small-time crook? Really? Why?”

“I have no idea,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied, somewhat primly.

“I have him pegged for going after bigger fish than petty theft,” Tony commented. “But can’t let the guy run around killing people, either way. Steve would be _so_ angry with—” He cut himself off with a gasp.

“Sir?”

“That’s it!” Tony exclaimed. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., I’m a genius!”

“I am reserving judgment on that issue.”

“I should get Steve the Punisher as a gift!”

The silence was long.

Finally, F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied, “I am now ready to pass judgment on the matter of your intelligence.”

Tony flew closer, inspecting the situation as it continued. “No, listen, what Steve wants more than anything is justice, right? He wants people to do the right thing. If I can get Castle to agree to stop killing people, that would be an _amazing_ gift! And it would show Steve how fantastic and reliable I am!”

F.R.I.D.A.Y. remained quiet.

“I’m going in,” Tony said. “Get ready.”

“Understood, sir.”

~*~

The city was always in motion. A constant state of hustle and bustle that seemed to never tire, even when Steve really needed it to. He pulled his winter jacket closed, hurrying along with the flow of foot traffic. As he passed each store, one by one he inspected their displays and found them lacking. It was difficult to even imagine what kind of gift would say ‘happy holidays, happy new year, sorry I didn’t reply to your love confession, also I would like to reply now, and that would be a yes from me’.

A sound of bodies colliding caught Steve’s attention. He looked over to find that two people had bumped into each other. One man was just looking up, obviously ready to shout, when his face froze as he recognized the other man was… oh no, _blind_.

Steve hurried over. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking between them.

The blind man nodded. “Fine, I’m fine,” he answered, seeming a bit annoyed by the attention.

Steve could understand that. He didn’t like any attention he got while he was out, either. “And you, sir?” he asked, looking at the other man.

He moved his mouth as if he was thinking of what to say. “Just be careful,” he muttered before hurrying on his way.

Steve’s eyes widened. “Wow. Here I thought more people would be in the Christmas spirit.”

“That was last week,” the blind man stated. “And Thanos attacked, which ruined most people’s plans.”

“Right.” Steve paused. “I’m Steve, by the way.”

“Matt,” the guy said, holding out his hand just slightly off-center. “Thanks for the help.”

Steve shook his hand, eyebrows rising at the strong grip. “Anytime.” He let go, inspected the man in front of him, and waited a beat before saying, “You look really good.”

Matt laughed.

Steve turned red. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean—”

Matt held up a hand. “It’s fine. I get that a lot, actually.”

That seemed likely. “What I _meant_ ,” Steve began, “is that you seem like the kind of guy who knows about fashion.”

“Do I?” Matt looked perplexed.

“You’re very well put-together,” Steve explained. “And I need someone to help with picking out a gift. A really nice, expensive gift.”

Matt nodded. “I get it. But you’re actually better off with my partner. He picks out a lot of my suits.”

“Oh,” Steve said, feeling a bit like the wind went out of his sails. “Well, thanks anyway.”

“I’m going to meet up with him now,” Matt said. “If you want to tag along, I’m sure he’d be happy to help.”

“How can you be sure?”

Matt grinned. “He loves the holidays. Trust me, he’ll be thrilled.”

~*~

Tony landed in front of the Punisher, who immediately pointed five guns at him.

“Okay, that’s excessive,” Tony said.

“Iron Man,” Castle—well, not greeted, but at least acknowledged.

“How are you holding so many guns at once?”

“Practice.”

Tony held out his arms. “Why don’t you put those down so we can talk?”

Castle shot him.

The bullets ricocheted off of Tony’s armor. “We both knew that wasn’t going to work,” he commented. “And you know I could stop you in your tracks right now, so can we cut to the chase here?”

After a tense moment, Castle put down his guns, holstering them with a grunt. “What.”

“You’re not going to complain about me getting in the way of your target?”

Castle shrugged. “I know where he’s going. You’ve got five minutes.”

Tony nodded. “Okay, look. I know you’ve been going back and forth between the good guy, bad guy thing—”

Castle grunted.

“—and I just really think that, deep down, you do actually want to be a good guy. That’s why you chase down these criminals, right? You want to help people.”

Castle sniffed. Maybe he was bored? Tony had to spice this up to really sell it.

“So I was thinking that, with the new year coming up and all, now is a _perfect_ time for a New Year’s Resolution!”

Castle began running down the street, continuing after the thief.

Tony immediately caught up, setting his suit to fly alongside him. “Hey, that wasn’t five minutes.”

“Don’t care,” Castle huffed as he ran.

“Okay, you should stop killing people,” Tony blurted. “That’s what I’m getting at here.”

Castle laughed—a low, guttural sound that really wasn’t humorous at all. “I’ll stop killing when they do, Stark.”

Tony groaned. “That’s what I’m talking about. Bad guys are the ones who kill people. That’s the line, Castle. That’s where you have to make a stand.”

Castle turned a corner, grabbing two guns faster than most people could blink. “Easy for you to say. Up there in your tower. Try living in the trenches, then see what you think.”

Tony flew in front of Castle’s face and pulled up his faceplate—not to block his progress, but to really look at him. “This isn’t a war zone, Castle. This is New York.”

“It’s more of a war zone than you know.”

With that zinger, Castle aimed both guns at the man still running away from him.

“Shit,” Tony muttered and took off, going into protection mode. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., alert the police. Let’s get this guy arrested rather than dead, yeah?”

~*~

Foggy stood up so quickly his knees banged into the edge of the small table he’d been hoarding like gold at one of the busiest Starbucks in the area. “Holy shit,” he breathed. “Holy shit, Matt. That’s Captain America.”

Matt’s steps faltered. “He should be here somewhere,” he said, now even more cautious about keeping up appearances in front of _Captain freaking America_.

Foggy cleared his throat. “Hey, Matt! I’m over here!” When Captain America looked his way, Foggy waved at him—forgetting that he was holding a frappuccino and immediately spilling it over his hand. “Shit,” he fervently cursed. Looking up quickly, he seemed panicked. “Uh, sorry! I meant, uh, shoot nuggets!”

Steve walked over, slowly guiding Matt as he approached Foggy. “Hi, you must be Matt’s partner.”

Foggy choked on absolutely nothing. His own saliva, maybe.

Matt walked up and laid a hand on Foggy’s shoulder. “Yeah, this is Foggy.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Foggy said, shaking Steve’s hand before it was offered.

“You too,” Steve replied, smiling.

“Matt, you didn’t tell me you knew a real-life _superhero_ ,” Foggy enthused.

Matt sighed. Then he mustered up a surprised face. “What? Foggy, what do you mean?”

“We just met. He wasn’t keeping anything from you,” Steve replied. He looked at Matt and smiled. “I probably should have said something earlier, but I didn’t even think about it. I’m Captain America.”

“Oh, wow,” Matt said, straddling the cliff between shock and over-acting. “What a _real-life hero_!”

Foggy took a quick gulp of his frap. “Yeah,” he blurbled. “Amazing!”

Steve looked at Foggy with his active mission face on. “So I was speaking to your boyfriend here and—”

“Whoa, uh—”

“Yeah, we’re not—”

Steve held up a hand. “Oh, sorry, I just assumed.” He smiled kindly. “Husband, then. I didn’t see a ring. Sorry about that.”

Matt’s smile froze. His brain fizzled out.

Foggy inhaled sharply, spilling more of his drink on the table. An employee came over and gave him a dark look. She took a cloth rag and began wiping down the wooden surface.

“So sorry,” Foggy said in a squeak. “I’m having palpitations.”

“It’s quite all right,” she said in a voice that directly stated it was not.

“There’s just a lot going on right now,” Foggy whispered, stepping farther away from the disaster he’d created.

“Anyway, he told me that you’d be able to help me pick out a nice gift,” Steve continued. “I’m looking for something that’s appropriate for a personal gift. Something fashionable. Expensive, probably.”

Foggy’s head snapped up. “Expensive?” he repeated. “Captain America, I’d be more than happy to help you find a gift!”

“It’s just Steve. No need to be so formal.”

“Nonsense, Mr. America,” Foggy replied. “I take present-shopping _very_ seriously.”

Matt slapped his hand on his forehead.

~*~

“I wasn’t going to kill him.”

Tony nodded at the Punisher, waving his hand in agreement. “Of course you weren’t. That’s why you were aiming guns at him.”

Castle shook his head. “You people put too much faith in the law.” He gestured to the police officers in front of them, who had just captured the robber and were currently interrogating the owners of the last house he’d hit. “These people? They’re just people. They make mistakes as much as any of us.”

“Sure,” Tony agreed. “But they don’t deserve to die for it.”

Castle snorted. “Says the Merchant of Death.”

Tony pointed at Castle, saying, “That’s it. Exactly that. I’ve _been_ there, where you are. And let me tell you, it is _so much better_ on this side of the line.”

“I don’t need to be a hero,” Castle replied.

Tony pondered for a moment. “Okay, how about a deal?”

Castle holstered his guns. “I don’t want anything from you.”

“I bet you’d like new body armor,” Tony said.

Castle paused.

“Ah ha! I knew it!” Tony slapped his gauntleted hands together, creating a metallic ringing sound. “I’ll tell you what. You agree to not kill anyone for the next year, just to try it out, and I’ll outfit you with better armor than you’ve ever had in your _life_.”

“Flying armor?”

“Hell no,” Tony replied.

Castle stroked his chin. “All right, Stark. Deal.”

Tony’s hands dropped. “ _Really_?”

“Yes, really.” Castle glowered at him. “I already regret this.”

“You shouldn’t. This is a _great_ deal for you,” Tony stated. “State-of-the-art equipment for basic human decency. I would literally not offer this to anyone else.”

Castle nodded. “Fine. Drop it off at this address.” He listed off a building that F.R.I.D.A.Y. recorded and informed him was an abandoned lot. “I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

“ _Tomorrow_?”

“Is that too soon for the infamous Stark?”

Tony held onto his temper, remembering what this was for. “Not at all! I’ll have it there by the end of the day.”

“Nice doing business with you.” Castle walked off, and Tony just shook his head. It would be worth it; he knew that. But that man was extremely grating.

Still. Worth it.

~*~

After visiting several stores, Foggy entered the seventh one and turned on his heel to look at Steve directly. “I know you’ve been cagey about who we’re shopping for, but that needs to stop.”

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “Cagey? I don’t think I’ve been _cagey_.”

“Yes! Cagey!” Foggy insisted. “And I can’t help you find the perfect gift if you don’t tell me who the lucky guy is.”

Matt felt a smile trip along the edge of his mouth. “Are we assuming a romantic gift?”

Steve turned bright red.

“Yes,” Foggy said. “He’s blushing like a Christmas tree, Matty. It’s obvious evidence.”

Steve sighed. “It’s for Tony,” he admitted. “I couldn’t find anything for him on my own, and I asked around but nobody had any good ideas.”

“Oh,” Foggy gasped. “Iron Man. That’s… okay.”

“I’d prefer it if you kept this quiet for a little while,” Steve said. “I haven’t really spoken to him yet, so I’d like to have some time.”

Matt nodded. “No, we get it. Don’t worry.”

Foggy nodded, too. “ _Totally_ understand, dude.”

Steve breathed out in relief. “Oh, good.” He looked around, then at Foggy. “So, where should I start?”

“Watches,” Foggy said. “This place has high-quality watches with unique elements. And they engrave them. Go look around, shout if anything in particular strikes your fancy.”

Steve walked away, confident as he always was when on a specific mission. Meanwhile, Foggy and Matt took a moment to consider the enormity of what they were just told.

“Oh my God, we’re helping _Captain America_ shop for _Iron Man_ ,” Foggy squealed, totally thrilled. “Am I dreaming?”

“I don’t think so,” Matt replied with a laugh.

“I have to be dreaming. I must be.” Foggy looked at Matt, quickly continuing, “Kiss me.”

Matt’s breath stopped.

“No, I mean, that would be—like, a way to tell I was dreaming.” Foggy coughed. “Not because I dream about you kissing me or anything, because that would be, well, I meant like _pinch_ me, but I only _said_ kiss because it _rhymes_ , such an easy mistake to—”

Matt kissed him.

Steve walked up with three different watches. He smiled when he saw them kissing, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Aww, you guys are so cute.” He sighed. “But I can’t decide which of these would look best on Tony, so what do you think?”

Matt pulled away from Foggy, briefly running his hand down Foggy’s arm. “I’m sure you have an opinion,” he murmured.

Foggy leaned in to Matt before he took a step back, running his fingers across his lips before smiling brightly. “You know me, Murdock. Of course I have opinions on designer watches I can’t afford!”

Steve looked conflicted. “I can buy you one?”

Foggy shook his head, waving his hands in between them. “Oh, please, just keep us in mind if you ever need any legal help, and we’ll call it even.” He handed over their business card.

“Nelson and Murdock,” Steve read. “Actually, I have a friend who could use your guys’ help.”

“Perfect,” Matt said.

“Now, let’s see the watches.” Foggy made gimme hands at Steve. “I have a billionaire to pick out a gift for.”

~*~

Tony reached the abandoned lot with time to spare. He flew into the dilapidated building, looked around, and decided to set down in the middle of the main room.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., do you see him?”

“Frank Castle is en route to the back entrance,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered. “He should arrive in three minutes.”

Tony took the time to lay out the armor he had arranged for the Punisher. It had taken a bit of effort, but eventually Tony found a good prototype that he was certain would hold up under whatever punishment Castle would give it.

“Stark.”

Tony turned around, removing his faceplate and smiling at Castle. “Your body armor, as promised.” He gestured to the pieces he had placed upon a staircase that was falling apart. “The most advanced prototype Stark Industries has to offer.”

“Hm.”

Castle walked over and picked them up, wasting no time in strapping the individual armor pieces to his body. Tony waited patiently, knowing Castle wasn’t the type of guy who wanted conversation or assistance of any kind while he was checking out a new set of armor.

After it was assembled properly, Castle tested it out for a few moments. It took less than a minute before he nodded. “You kept your word, Stark,” he stated. “I’ll keep mine.”

Tony’s smile nearly broke his face. “I’m so glad to hear it.” He cleared his throat. “I hope you’ll find this can be a long-term change, even after the year’s over.”

Castle stared pointedly at Tony. “Don’t push it.” He turned around and walked away, out of Tony’s line of sight.

“That’s okay,” Tony called out. “We’ll workshop it!”

~*~

The snow crunched under their feet, the thin layer of ice immediately cracking as Matt’s sure footsteps blazed a trail. Foggy hung on to Matt’s elbow, one mittened hand gripping for dear life while his other flung out for extra balance.

“Matt, I’m not sure we should be going this fast,” Foggy muttered, eyes trained on the ground, darting back and forth to inspect each step before he took it.

Matt’s breath huffed out in a quiet laugh. “Come on, Fog. I think I can handle some snow.”

“ _You_ can,” Foggy agreed. “I’m not made of miles of sexy muscle, you know. I’m more of a cotton ball. Just soft, easily bruised.”

“Are cotton balls easily bruised?” Matt asked, raising an eyebrow.

“In this case, yes.” Foggy tightened his hold on Matt’s arm. “I swear to God, Murdock, if I fall I’m going to complain _so_ much.”

Matt grinned. “I won’t let you fall.”

They kept walking. Matt’s cane made an oddly soft noise as it scratched along the surface of the ice and occasionally fell an inch or so into the snow. Foggy began to describe the decorations they passed—a few stores with multicolored lights strung up around darkened display windows; some garland and tinsel wrapped around streetlights; large blow-up Santa Clauses holding signs proclaiming who was naughty, who was nice, and which way to the North Pole.

“So Captain America thinks we’re married,” Foggy blurted out. He laughed once, loudly, then immediately stopped. “That’s… something.”

Matt shrugged. “I didn’t mind.” He mustered up all of the courage he was known for. “Did you?”

“After that kiss? No way,” Foggy stated.

A blush ran over Matt’s nose, lightly dusting his cheeks. “How about before the kiss?”

Foggy also found himself blushing. “Then neither.”

Matt ducked his head, only half-hiding his smile. “Good.”

“Good, he says,” Foggy teased. “ _Good_.”

Laughing, Matt carefully tugged Foggy away from a thick collection of ice. They walked a bit farther, both considering what to do next. Both knowing what they wanted and thinking, hoping, the other was on the exact same page.

For all the talk of Matt being the Man Without Fear, it was Foggy who made the next move. He bumped his shoulder playfully into Matt’s, loudly announcing, “You kissed me. You kissed me in front of _Captain America_.”

Matt bit his lower lip. “Yeah, and? What are you going to do about it?”

“Kiss you again.” Foggy rolled his eyes. “Obviously.”

Matt leaned over to give Foggy the chance to do just that.

~*~

Steve knocked on the door to Tony’s workshop. “Hey, Tone? Can I come in?” The door opened automatically. Steve walked in, scanning the area for Tony. The workshop was usually a mixture of careful organization and uncontrolled chaos. Steve had learned a while ago how to navigate it. He followed the sound of muted rock music from speakers near a worktable in the far corner of the room.

“You know you don’t have to knock,” Tony said. “I already said you’re welcome whenever you want.”

Pulling a chair out, Steve sat down next to Tony and smiled at him. “It’s polite to ask.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Of course that’s your take.” He flicked the design he was working on to the side, moving the neon blue hologram out of the way. “So what do you want?”

“To give you your present,” Steve replied. “I wasn’t able to last week.”

“Because of Thanos.”

“Because I didn’t have one,” Steve admitted.

Tony smirked. “Well, Mr. Rogers. Are you saying you were unprepared?”

Steve shrugged. “Yeah. But I got some help from some lawyers—”

Tony’s eyes bulged out.

“Oh! No, don’t worry, they’re married,” Steve reassured. Tony didn’t look very relaxed. “Well, I think they helped me pick out a nice gift. So. Here.” Steve handed a jewelry box over to Tony.

Tony unwrapped it, quickly clicking open the box and smiling. “Oh wow,” he murmured.

“Yeah?” Steve asked nervously.

“Yeah,” Tony confirmed. “It’s gorgeous.” He pulled it out and looked closer. “Wait, did you get it inscribed?”

“I hope that’s okay.”

Tony leveled Steve a look. “Of course it’s _okay_. It’s more than okay.” He turned the watch over and read the inscription aloud. “‘To T, my better half. Love, S.’”

Steve bit his lower lip, waiting on Tony’s reaction.

“It’s perfect,” Tony breathed out. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Steve grinned.

“I have a gift for you, too.”

Steve looked surprised. “Really?”

Tony made a face. “What do you mean, really? Of course really.” He hesitated. “Well, it’s not a material gift. It’s more of a… gesture.”

“Now I’m intrigued.”

Tony’s mouth quirked up in a small smile. “I ran into the Punisher.”

“Oh no.”

“And I made a deal with him.”

“Oh _no_.”

Tony laughed. “Calm down! In exchange for better protective armor, he agreed to not kill anyone for an entire year.”

Steve blinked. “What?”

Tony nodded. “Yep! It took quite a bit of wheeling and dealing, but in the end he was no match for my dazzling wit.”

Steve stared at him.

After a few seconds, Tony frowned slightly. “What? You don’t like it?”

“I…” Steve shook his head. “I got you a _watch_.”

“Yeah?”

“You got me people’s _lives_ ,” Steve explained. “Tony, that’s—that’s _amazing_!”

Relief spread across Tony’s face. “You had me worried there for a sec, Cap.”

Steve shook his head. “No, Tone. That’s so thoughtful. It’s… it’s a wonderful gift. Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome,” Tony replied. “Did you mean it?”

“What?” Steve paused. “That it’s an amazing gift? Yes. It’s incredible. If we can get Frank Castle to agree to stop killing people, imagine what else we can do.”

“Yes, it’s fantastic, but that’s not what I was talking about,” Tony answered. “What you said on the watch. ‘Love, S.’”

Steve squared his shoulders. “Of course I meant it, Tone. And, well. I’m sorry I didn’t give you a proper answer at the time, but—”

“Thanos,” Tony said, nodding.

“Thanos,” Steve agreed. “Still, you should know. My answer is yes. I’d love to go out with you.”

Tony’s smile rivaled the sun. “You would?”

“Yes. Because I do love you, Tony. And I have for a long while.”

Tony reached over and wrapped his hands around Steve’s face. “I love you, too,” he murmured. “And I really have to kiss you. Like. Right now.”

Steve nodded. Their lips met somewhere in the middle, casually distorting the hologram floating next to them.

“I thought we were supposed to wait until midnight to kiss,” Steve murmured.

“I would,” Tony whispered, “but I don’t want to.”

Tony leaned in for another kiss as F.R.I.D.AY. announced, “Mr. Stark, the other Avengers are ready to leave for the New Year’s Eve party.”

“Give us a minute,” Tony murmured into Steve’s mouth.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. did as requested, and—exactly one minute later—the elevator door dinged open to interrupt their stolen moment. Even when Tony glared at her sensor, she didn’t mind. She knew they’d have plenty more in the future.

_fin._


End file.
